How will access to contraception coverage fare in light of the ACA repeal?

With the uncertainty about continued contraception coverage, a number of states have either enacted or introduced legislation to ensure that individuals continue to have access to contraception coverage and the number of women inquiring about birth control has increased. Since the November election and, in the wake of the imminent repeal of Obamacare, requests for intrauterine devices (IUDs) have been increasing significantly. Cecile Richards, President of Planned Parenthood, told CNN on January 9, 2017, that the demand for IUDs, a form of long-term birth control, has shot up 900 percent at Planned Parenthood branches because women “are desperately concerned that they will lose their access to health care,” SFGate news reported.

A December 7, 2016, Kaiser Family Foundation report that addressed private insurance coverage of contraception stated that many states have mandated minimum benefits for decades, including contraceptive coverage. Moreover, since the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) (P.L. 111-148), states have strengthened and expanded the federal contraceptive coverage requirement. Among those states that have recently adopted contraceptive laws expanding ACA mandates for contraceptive coverage are New York, California, Oregon, Illinois, and Vermont.

New York

On January 11, 2017, New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman introduced “The Comprehensive Contraception Coverage Act of 2017” (CCCA), legislation that would provide access to cost-free contraception for women and expand coverage to men to ensure the continuation of contraception coverage under state law in light of Republicans’ goal of repealing the ACA. The CCCA would (1) statutorily require state-governed health insurance policies to provide cost-free coverage for all FDA-approved methods of birth control, including emergency contraception, (2) prohibit insurance companies from “medical management” review restrictions that can limit or delay contraceptive coverage; (3) cover men’s contraceptive methods and bring their insurance coverage in line with the benefits enjoyed by women; and (4) allow for the provision of a year’s worth of a contraceptive at a time.

Crain’s New York Business addressed a number of items that are at stake in terms of women’s access to health care in New York under Donald Trump’s presidency. Although New York’s contraception legislation “has taken on new urgency for advocates since Trump’s victory,” the bill faces opposition from insurers because the provisions go beyond the ACA mandates, Crain’s predicted. In addition, Crain’s pointed out that Republicans in Congress will renew their efforts to defund Planned Parenthood, noting that access to services such as breast exams, Pap tests, STD screenings and family planning are most likely at risk of elimination for female Medicaid enrollees. Finally, abortion rights in New York might be curtailed if President-elect Trump’s Supreme Court judge appointee provides the Court with a majority of votes to overturn Roe v. Wade, the case that affirmed a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion under the 14th amendment. New York state law allows an abortion after 24 weeks only if it’s a matter of life and death for the woman, while constitutional law allows a woman to get a late-stage abortion if an anomaly poses a serious risk to her health or makes the fetus unviable, Crain’s explained.

Other States

In 2014, California passed the Contraceptive Coverage Equity Act of 2014 that requires plans to cover prescribed FDA-approved contraceptives for women without cost-sharing. In April of 2016, under the law, girls and women are able to drop by their neighborhood pharmacy and pick up birth control such as pills, patches, and injections without a doctor’s prescription but must speak with a pharmacist and fill out a questionnaire. Starting in January 2016, health plans were required to provide access to the full range of contraceptive methods approved by the FDA, including a variety of IUDs, for all insured individuals without cost-sharing, delays, or denial of coverage.

In 2015, Oregon passed two laws in 2015 expanding women’s access to birth control that became effective January 1, 2015. HR2879 permits pharmacists to prescribe hormonal contraceptive patches and self-administered oral hormonal contraceptives, while HR3343 requires insurers to pay for a three-month supply of contraceptives when first prescribed, followed by a 12 month supply of contraceptives regardless of whether the woman was insured by the same plan at the time of the first dispensing. This law applies to oral contraceptive pills, the patch, and the vaginal ring.

The State Journal Register reported that Illinois adopted House Bill 5576, which will take effect January 1, 2017. Under the law, all ACA options must be covered without co-payments or deductibles, at least for women covered through health plans regulated by the state and plans that cover state employees, retirees, and their dependents. In addition, insurance companies must allow women to get a 12 month supply all at once.

The Burlington Free Press reported that Vermont legislation includes mandates from the ACA in the state law, but also expands upon the mandates to include additional birth-control methods, such as vasectomies. The bill specifies the 12 contraceptive products and services that must be included in health insurance plans as well as restrictions on cost-sharing for contraceptive services. It directs the Department of Vermont Health Access to establish 15 value-based payments for the insertion and removal of long-acting reversible contraceptives comparable to those for oral contraceptives.

Conclusion

Whether Congress repeals the ACA mandates requiring health insurance plans to provide contraceptive coverage and defunds Planned Parenthood is not certain. As of this writing, Congress has already taken initial steps to repeal the law. It remains to be seen if the actions the states have taken to ensure that both men and women have access to contraception under state law will hold up, and whether states that have introduced bills to ensure coverage will progress to enactment in the face of strong opposition.